A Very Laney Halloween
by xx.lanetrash.xx
Summary: TRIGGER WARNING: homophobia, suicide, murder, pedophilia, stalking, zombies, gore, violent imagery The second fanfiction in the "One Lane Highway" series, written by netrash.xx. Inspired by and dedicated to cbrennan0203 on , author of "Lovesick Boys". The story takes place on Halloween in Australia and focuses on characters Zane, Lewis, Cleo, and Nate.


A Very Laney Halloween

(An H2O: Just Add Water Story)

Written by .xx on

Inspired by and dedicated to cbrennan0203 on

**NOTE TO READERS: **

Slightly changed some plot details from first fanfiction, take it as a "standalone"

Different writing style than before, more serious and plot-driven

**CHAPTER ONE: SPOOKY PARTY**

_**Friday afternoon, at school, with Cleo and Lewis **_

It was Halloween, but only in Australia. Cleo Satori was getting ready for her spooky get-together that night, hanging flyers all around the school, which read:

SPOOKY PARTY

Cleo Satori

Party things, etc

JuiceNet Cafe, 7 pm

"Happy Halloween, Lewis!" Cleo shouted from across the hall. "Are you coming to my party tonight?"

Lewis closed his locker and swept his luscious blonde locks away from his eyes. He was taken aback by Cleo's gesture; they hadn't talked since the incident.

Months ago, a tragedy occurred. After Lewis broke it off with Cleo, she fell into a pit of despair. She and her standards sunk low enough that she felt she _had _to be with a man. ANY man. She kissed Nate passionately and asked for his darkest secret. "Look in the basement," he said, with a grimace. Cleo ran downstairs, and she fell to the floor as soon as she saw her annoying little sister, Kim, lying on the ground, drained of all blood. As Cleo stared down at her sister's lifeless body, she could only say one thing: "KiiIIIMM?" Nate followed her silently and showed Cleo the knife he used to kill her sister. "Anyways, enough about me. What's yours?"

"Of course I am, Cleo! I wouldn't miss your famous SPOOKY PARTY for the world. I'm so sorry Kim can't be there, though, lol"

Cleo looked through Lewis with her emotionless eyes, and a single tear managed to escape from their sockets. "omg, RIP," she managed, building the tension.

"Let me check to see what Zane's doing tonight; I'll definitely make sure he's coming, too."

There was obvious insincerity in her voice as she replied, "oh, great! I'm so happy you two are still together." Lewis noticed her hollow invitation, but he chose to ignore it; Zane was all that mattered to him.

Almost immediately after, Zane caught Lewis out of the corner of his eye. Running up to him, he almost crashed into three freshmen. He didn't care; he missed Lewis too much.

"Hey, babe," he said, interrupting Cleo and Lewis's sad excuse of a conversation.

"Hey, toots," Lewis responded, with stars in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen his lover all day.

A potent look of disgust took over Cleo's face. Feeling sick - literally, and figuratively - she walked away from Zane as quickly as she could.

"See you tonight, Lewis," she yelled into the breeze, in a hallway with no windows.

"What's tonight?" Zane asked.

_What an idiot,_ Lewis thought to himself. _A_ _beautiful idiot_.

"Haven't you seen the flyers? Cleo's SPOOKY PARTY is tonight! Would you want to come with me? I have a couple's costume picked out already!" Lewis's thoughts clouded with the image of Zane dressed up as that sexy Italian plumber. Green always looked good on him.

Cleo always made Zane feel uneasy, but he was intrigued by the thought of a couples' costume with Lewis.

"I'll go anywhere, as long as you're with me, Louie Wowie," Zane said, lovingly.

"Perfect, it'll be so perfect. I love you, Zanie Wanie."

Zane took a breath. "Wait, what's the costume again?"

**CHAPTER TWO: Purple Sludge**

_**At the JuiceNet Cafe, with Lewis, Zane, and other spooky characters**_

Zane adjusted the itchy, fake mustache that Lewis stuck to his face only three minutes before entering the party. He turned to his lover, and whispered,

"I can't believe you made us dress up as Mario and Luigi. You _do _know they're brothers, right?"

"Yeah, I do. It's called _irony_, Zane." He would never admit it, but Zane always secretly liked it when his boyfriend talked back to him.

"As much as I love these costumes," Lewis continued, "I really wish Mario wore a bucket hat. This hat just isn't the same." Lewis looked up at his hat with a twinge of disappointment.

"Yours looks cute though," he added, making sure that Zane didn't regret coming out with him.

Wilfred walked up to the boys, suddenly, and offered up a drink.

"Hey guys! Want to try my latest creation? It has a new, spooky ingredient. Cleo brought it to me, and she said it would make my smoothies even better than they already are. I don't see how that's possible, but I decided to give it a chance anyways."

"What's the secret ingredient?" Zane asked, suspicious of Cleo as always.

"Oh, sorry. Can't say. Cleo decided it would add to the spookiness of her SPOOKY PARTY if we kept it completely secret. Even _I'm _not quite sure what it really is."

"Uh, is that safe? What if someone has an allergy?" Lewis wondered, as his boyfriend's wheatgrass allergy was always in the back of his head.

"Don't worry too much about that, Lewis. Anyways, I'll pass, thanks Wilfred. I've actually been sober for a while." He pulled out his three-month chip from Juice-a-holics Janonymous, and it shined under the orange lights of the party. "JJ was the best thing that has ever happened to my life." Zane took a breath, and looked to Mario. "Aside from you."

"Thanks, Wilfred, but if he can't drink it, I won't either," Lewis added. He was very impressed with Zane's efforts to change his life and become sober, and he would do just about anything for him.

Lewis looked around the party, and in each person's hand, he saw the drink: there was a hypnotic swirl to the deep purple sludge, and it was covered in a thick, grey smoke coming from the top. The only people he saw without a drink in hand were him and Zane. Across the crowded room, Cleo quickly grabbed a drink from a table and raised it in the air.

"Everyone, thank you for coming tonight! Raise a glass for the SPOOKIEST PARTY of the year! I think tonight will be a night you will never forget. Happy Halloween!"

While everyone else was finishing their toast, Lewis never saw Cleo take a sip, and she moved about the room as if she were invincible. Everyone at the party seemed to be fixed in some sort of trance, but still, Lewis could not help but wonder what she had done to those mysterious drinks.

**CHAPTER THREE: Nathaniel**

_**Months ago, in the Australian prison, with Nate**_

Nathaniel stared at the blank cell walls, feeling hopeless and enraged. Although he was sentenced to life, he did not intend to stay. He turned his head to face the prison guard. For hours, he sat silently: staring, waiting.

**CHAPTER FOUR: Blood Yellow**

_**Back to the present, at the party**_

After thirty minutes of dancing, juicing, and partying SPOOKILY, the music faded to a love song. As "Lose Yourself" by Eminem rang through the venue, couples paired together for a romantic dance. Lewis and Zane felt the beat of the music within their swaying, and the moment felt so perfect.

Zane leaned into Lewis's ear and whispered: "They're playing our song, Lewis. I love you."

"I can't wait until we dance to this song at our wedding," Lewis responded, feeling equally sentimental and honest.

The speakers sang, "but hold your nose cuz here goes the cold water. His hoes don't want him no' mo', he's cold product," and the SPOOKY PARTY felt timeless and simply perfect.

The lovers were so caught in each other's eyes that they hardly noticed the bodies collapsing to the floor.

Eminem's words of love no longer struck a chord of happiness, but rather, HORROR in the lovers' minds. One by one, the guests of the SPOOKY PARTY lost consciousness. Wilfred was already lying, almost dead on the floor.

Zane and Lewis ran up to him, screaming, "Wilfred, NO! Who will make our smoothies now?" They could practically feel the Banana Beatboxes slipping through their fingers.

"This is the worst thing to _ever_ have happened," announced Zane, completely ignoring Kim's death only months prior.

Mario and Luigi got so close to Wilfred that their breath was condensing**...or condensating, I don't know. They got really close though. **

Out of nowhere, Wilfred's reticular formation caused him to become completely aroused. His eyes snapped open, and they were yellow. Blood yellow.

"Happy Halloween, Wilfred! Are you okay?" Lewis asked, still celebrating the occasion.

Without a response, Lewis peered deeply into his banana-colored eyes.

"Banana beatbox…" he moaned, and his boyfriend soulfully agreed.

"MMmmmMM."

**CHAPTER FIVE: 50 Shades of Nate**

_**Still in the past, in the Australian prison with Nathaniel**_

He spent his days seducing the guard. His bisexuality was a major advantage. He was a psychopath. Every conversation, every kiss, every touch was simply strategic and necessary for revenge. He lost himself in that cell. He didn't know where Nate ended and Nathaniel began. Somewhere after 'T'. He never knew the alphabet too well.

**CHAPTER SIX: Let The Bodies Hit The Floor**

_**Back at the cafe, with Zane, Lewis, and everyone else**_

The room was filled with corpses. As they, the bodies 'hit the floor'.

**End of chapter. Just kidding, LOL. **

One by one the guests started reawakening. The color yellow filled the room, and their eyes glowed with great fury. Cleo, Lewis, and Zane were somehow the only people in the room who had not been affected by this scourge.

Looking across the sea of zombies, Lewis cracked a joke: "Man, this really sucked the life out of this party, huh?"

Zane tried not to chuckle and broke the silence. "Not funny. Didn't laugh."

**It was funny, though, just not the time.**

Before they could think, the zombies' lunged. Luckily, the boys were able to dodge the undead. Zane quickly grabbed onto Lewis's arm: "Run".

With a sharp pull on Lewis' wrist, the lovers ran hand in hand out of the JuiceNet Cafe. Their only destination was safety.

Unfortunately, Mario and Luigi weren't the only guests who decided to run. Suddenly, a herd of zombies was released into Australia. They surrounded the lovers and instilled a sense of deep fear within them.

The zombies could run, but the boys were fast. Lewis and Zane were inseparable, and they ran as fast as they could. The zombies were everywhere, and Zane shouted to his lover, "we can't escape. We need to fight." The fear in Lewis's eyes grew. Ever since he had gotten together with Zane, he had never had to fight for a single thing; Zane had handled everything. At this moment, all Lewis knew was fear. He was lost.

Although he was afraid, he knew he had to fight for his lover.

Zane, feeling confident, explained what they had to do.

"Everything will make sense soon, love, but we need to head to my father's mansion," he said, with great dread.

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Oklahomoes**

_**At the Bennett mansion, with Zane and Lewis **_

They reached Mr. Bennett's house, and it seemed to be larger than life. They knocked on the door. Suddenly, Mr. Bennett shot open the door and disgust took over his face.

"What do you want, Oklahomoes?" he yelled, furrowing his brow intensely.

Ignoring his question, the two boys raced past Mr. Bennett, entering the house and heading quickly towards the garage, where Zane had kept his motorcycle.

Lewis loved it when Zane took charge.

"This way, Lewis," he explained, and they entered the dark, dank room. Zane ran to his hog and pulled out a sharp pocket knife from a secret compartment, and knelt down immediately. Slicing through the thick rubber, he slit the length of his tire, then stuffed his hand deeply within it. Pulling it back out, he was suddenly holding his Glock.

"Oi, what is that, Zane?" Lewis exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it, toots. It's our protection. An insurance policy, if you will."

Mr. Bennet had not stopped his shouting since they had arrived, and was currently yelling various slurs throughout the mansion.

After getting the gun, Zane knew he had to dress for the occasion as well. Running up to his room, they continued down several long corridors, passing thousands of empty rooms. Lewis tried to keep up with Zane, but he was running so quickly that it was becoming increasingly difficult. Zane realized his lover was falling behind and grabbed his hand tightly. Lewis gave up running, and let his boyfriend drag him like dead weight throughout the mansion.

Finally reaching his room, Zane dashed in, looking for his signature leather jacket, and one more important item of clothing: Lewis's bucket hat. Lewis had given his hat to Zane for the time being, and Zane knew it would come in handy.

"Here's our armor," Zane said, giving Lewis the jacket and placing the bucket hat swiftly on his own head. The boys felt content and safe with each other, and beside the clothing, their greatest protection was each other.

Zane continued: "Hurry, we've gotten what we came here for, let's get out of here. Now!", and they ran back to the entrance of the house, still listening to Mr. Bennett's words of rage. They edged around Mr. Bennett's post and hopped down the stairs to the mansion, rushing to get to Zane's hog and ride off. Turning right to the garage, Zane lifted the door and immediately hopped on his bike. With his boyfriend sitting behind him, he started the engine and they took off, leaving the mansion behind them. As they escaped the horrors of the haunted mansion, they could still hear Mr. Bennett's homophobia in the distance.

"Oklahomo!" he shouted, and that would be the last they would hear from him.

**CHAPTER EIGHT: The Key **

_**In the past again, with Nathaniel **_

Once Nathaniel snuck the key from the guard, he waited for his opportunity to escape. Luckily for him, the opportunity was now.

**CHAPTER NINE: Cops. In Boats.**

_**On the road, with Zane and Lewis **_

The destination was anywhere. Anywhere far from here.

Zane and Lewis rode their hog to the farthest part of Australia, but they soon found out that there was no escape. They saw thousands of cops. In thousands of boats. They spanned the entire ocean, and there was not a single drop of water free from policing.

"You can't leave Australia," the police shouted as one.

The boys were both in awe and in disbelief of the spectacle they were presented with.

"Did they rehearse that?" asked Lewis.

"I suppose so," replied Zane.

A brief silence swept over Australia.

"Zane, I'm scared. What if we can't run from the zombies and they get us? What if something happens to you? I can't live without you, Zane, you complete me," Lewis admitted, feeling completely vulnerable.

Although he knew the cops were listening to their every word, Zane decided that he had to be honest, too. He didn't care who was listening.

"Lewis," he started, "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm scared too. I don't ever want to lose you, and I'm afraid that if I can't protect you, I will. But hear me out: we _can_ get through this together. You are the strongest person I know. I know you see me as the 'bad boy', but you've always been stronger than I am. You helped me come to terms with being gay, and you've survived your abusive relationship with Cleo. You and I can get through this, together. In the words of Barack Obama in his 2008 Victory Speech, and his presidential campaign slogan: 'Yes, we can.'"

It felt like Zane had been going on for decades, and Lewis needed to get a few words in, himself.

"Zane, I get what you're trying to say here, but I think I can say it way better."

Although it was completely out of character, Zane let Lewis take charge of the conversation, because **Lewis needed more lines of dialogue**.

"I've written a poem for this exact situation, zombies and all. I'm going to recite it for you:

**The zombies may tear our flesh**

**But they cannot eat our souls **

**No demon can destroy us**

**For our love is eternal**

**And we will ride off on our hog**

**And reclaim the land of the living**

**One zombie, one cop, and one boat at a time." **

Zane was in awe, not only by the poem's beauty but because of how specific it had turned out to be. He began to applaud his boyfriend's writing, and exclaimed, "that was so touching."

"Thank you, I spent a month writing that," he explained. "It was a stroke of genius."

Admitting there was no hope to escape, Zane and Lewis decided their only option was to fight. Fight for their right to party.

He whipped out his Glock and the police raised theirs in response.

"It's not for you," he said, and for some reason, they all believed him.

Confused, Lewis had to ask an important question. "Why did you do pull that out, Zane? We're literally nowhere near any zombies."

"I don't know, honestly. I must've gotten caught up in the moment."

Agreeing that he did not need it, Zane bent over and stuffed his Glock back into his flat tire. "Nice and snug," he said, and he revved his engine to impress the cops.

"That's sick," the police announced, and with that, the boys ventured back to the JuiceNet Cafe, ready to demolish some zombies.

**CHAPTER TEN: Smell?**

_**Sometime in the past, lost somewhere, with Nate**_

He didn't know where he was anymore. He was lost, somewhere between prison and revenge. His vision was blurred, and all he could see through the red haze was a single image: Zane Bennett. He loathed Lewis McCartney for what he had stolen from him. Zane would be his.

Nate spent the past twelve years secretly pining after Zane Bennett. He could remember the exact moment when he fell in love:

It was a cold day in December, yet there was no snow because it is Australia. Even though it was cold outside, Nate still felt warm, knowing that Zane was near. He spied through his bedroom window, silently observing his every feature. Zane's slick, black hair looked like charcoal, and it fueled the fire burning within Nate's heart. His window was left slightly ajar, and Nate wafted the sweet, musty aroma of Zane's beautiful body towards him. The smell lingered in his nose and filled him with delight and ecstasy.

Nate spent his days lurking beneath Zane's window, longing for the day when he could finally be together with him. After months of returning to that spot, he became so fond of it, it began to feel like home.

Each day, after Zane came home from bike practice, Nate would relish in the six minutes and thirteen seconds he would take to change. Every day, he would sit there, waiting for those six minutes and thirteen seconds. As Zane's sweat-soaked shirt was pulled off and his bare chest was exposed, Nate knew he was in love. Zane never closed his window except for during Spider Season, when giant tarantulas attacked innocent civilians while they slept. Nate watched - and smelt - Zane as much as he could. He breathed in his scent and it enraptured him. Zane, the 'bad boy' biker jock, smelled exactly like a newly purchased tricycle. His hands smelled like rubber, and his feet smelled like sweat, but the raunchiness was appealing in Nate's twisted mind. There was no other explanation other than love. A rush of bliss possessed him, and he no longer was in control of his own body. There was something else driving him. Something else that would stop at nothing to be with Zane Bennett.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: Bloody Donut **

_**On the highway, with Zane, Lewis, and a hoard of zombies**_

Lewis and Zane were cruising down the One Lane Highway on their hog. The wind in their hair (and bucket hat) made them feel invincible. The only thing that could've made the moment more perfect was a working tire (and not trying to be eaten alive by zombies). As the bike 'thump, thump, thumped' down the highway, the boys tried to encourage each other, preparing for what would come next.

All of a sudden, Zane brought the hog to a grinding halt. The highway was swarmed with zombies. There was no way around them. They had to travel through. Zane reached down to the tire and pulled out his Glock.

"Get ready for some action, Lewis," he warned, as he raised the gun and fired several shots into the crowd of the undead. Chills were sent down Lewis's spine and he shivered violently; he never thought that this type of violence would become a reality for them. Although he had written about this exact scenario, he thought that such horror would be confined to the pages of his diary.

"Remember, love, that **they cannot eat our souls**, just as you wrote," Zane continued. "I believe in us."

Lewis agrees with his boyfriend, but in this moment, he had one doubt for certain: his lack of a weapon. "Hey, Zane. Not trying to ruin the moment or anything, but, uh, how am I supposed to fight these zombies if you're the only one here with a weapon?"

"Oh," thought Zane. "I don't know." He had no time to think as the crowd approached them with a confidence that would kill.

"Seriously? I'm going to have to figure this out by myself, huh? Don't worry, though. I was a Boy Scout before I met you."

"I'm sorry that I can't help you with this right now, but I believe in you. You'll have to figure this out by yourself, but I know you have what it takes. I promise we'll survive this. You have my word."

Zane's confidence in his childhood boy scouting skills relieved some of the weight on Lewis's shoulders. All he needed in life was Zane, but in this moment, he also needed a weapon.

Looking around him, there was no outlet for invention. Lewis needed to dig deep within himself and retrieve his powers that were once lost to his boy scout troop: troop number 432. During one of their many pointless camping retreats, his troop leader taught him a lesson he would never forget.

Gregg, his first gay crush, said, with great inspiration:

"BOYS, YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES. THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT CANNOT BE SOLVED WITH A LITTLE SELF-BELIEF."

Lewis never fully understood what Gregg meant, until now. After all, nearly everything Gregg said was nonsense. People tended to look past it because of the yelling. Years later he was arrested for pedophilia. He should have known something was wrong with him from the start: who spells Gregg with that many 'G'?Lewis had always secretly wished that were him, until he met Zane.

"With a little self-belief," he said, "I will self-actualize a SICKLE in my hands right now. I am a strong and independent woman, and I can do this. Wait, no I'm no-"

"Lewis, what the hell are you saying?" Zane interrupted. As he looked down at Lewis's hands, he was suddenly holding a sickle. "Where did THAT come from?"

"I did it Gregg! I did it for you!" Lewis shouted, and immediately regretted it.

"Who's Gregg?" Zane asked, now completely confused, and distracted from the current zombie situation.

"Don't worry about it, Zane, keep fighting!"

Normally, Zane would've fought back, but he had to focus on the zombies for now.  
Lewis held tightly onto his newly formed sickle and ran into the crowd of monsters. He slit their throats quickly and efficiently, all in the name of love. Lewis was slaying zombies, one, two, then three at a time. With each swipe of his blade, he was closer to the end of the crowd. Zane ran to his boyfriend, attempting to help him defend himself, and a final slice splattered blood across Lewis's bucket hat. As Lewis watched this happen, it changed him forever; his innocence fell victim to the harsh reality of the world. Although it pained him deeply, he would give up anything to keep Zane safe, even his most treasured possession. He knew he didn't need it anymore. He had Zane to comfort him instead.

The One Lane Highway was soaked in blood, and a new lake was forming in the middle of the land. Drop by drop, Australia became less of a continent and more of a donut.

Watching Lewis boldly fend for his life, Zane realized just how in love with him he really was. Together, they fought off the last zombies in front of them, and Lewis yelled to his lover:

"Zane, let's get out of here, now!"

As they hopped on the hog, Glock and Sickle in hand, they felt both accomplished and terrified: who had they become? The bloody mess behind them faded into the distance, as they made their way back to the JuiceNet Cafe.

**CHAPTER TWELVE: Have You Seen This Man?**

_**In the almost-present, with Nate **_

Walking through the streets of Australia, it was the morning of Halloween. The streets were bright, yet crowded, which provided Nathaniel with an opportunity to pass through the continent undetected. Just as he was about to give up all hope for exacting revenge on Lewis McCartney, Nathaniel passed a bulletin board where a brightly colored flier caught his eye. He walked towards the paper and was caught off guard by a large image of his face. He chose to ignore it, and his eyes circled on the flier's unmistakable Crafty Girls font writing. He muttered something unrecognizable to himself and began his journey to the JuiceNet Cafe. This was his opportunity to strike. He knew Cleo, Lewis, and Zane would all be in attendance to Cleo's annual SPOOKY PARTY, and he knew it would be the perfect time for him to strike.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Poorly Done Braids And A Conservative Blue Shirt**

_**Arriving at the Cafe, with Lewis and Zane**_

The motorcycle sputtered as they forced it to stop in front of the cafe. Through the windows, Lewis and Zane could see the faces of hundreds of zombies, all hungry for their flesh. Was Cleo really that popular? How did she have so many guests at her party? **After all, she is the** _**worst**_ **character in the show. **Lewis could hardly swallow, and was choking on his words as he asked, "are you ready, Zane?"

"No, not really. But I think we have to be."

"Zane, if we don't make it out of this alive, I need to tell you how I really feel. You've transformed my life, and you've made it so beautiful. In my head, I had plans of spending my whole life with you, and I still do. If we end up dying, or getting bitten and turning into zombies, or whatever, I just want you to know, I want to spend my whole _afterlife _with you too. If this continent has taught me anything, it's that magic _does _exist. And we're magic, Zane. We were destined to be together since the beginning, and we will be together until the end. I believe in us. This is our chance to get everything we've ever wanted, and we can. You were right earlier to quote Barack Obama. Because "yes, we can.""

"Woah, Lewis. I don't think you've ever had this many lines before. Anyways, let's cruise."

Saying this, as if it made any sense, Zane pulled out a pair of hella awesome cool guy sunglasses. "What does that even mean, Zane?" Lewis asked, like a fool.

"Cruising is a lifestyle. Now let's go."

As they hopped off the bike and cruised towards the entrance, Zane pulled out his Glock, and Lewis wiped the blood off his sickle. They slammed open the doors, drawing all the zombies' attention, and without a moment of hesitation, Zane began to RAPID FIRE. The power from his epic sunglasses gave him the ability to hit every one of his targets perfectly. As the shots rang out, zombies across the room fell to the floor, their brains splattering across the walls of the JuiceNet Cafe.

Lewis, impressed by Zane's gusto, joined him promptly. He swung his sickle across the crowd, killing several zombies. Their numbers were diminishing rapidly, and the two lovers were winning, finally. Although they were demolishing zombies - as they wanted to - their slaughter was brought to a grinding halt as they recognized two rotting faces within the crowd. Rikki and Emma, two of their closest friends, were standing in front of the lovers, decaying and snarling with great anguish. Rikki's bright red tank top stood out in the crowd. Her hair was still intact in her two poorly done braids. Emma was alongside her with her conservative blue t-shirt.

"Zane, it's Rikki and Emma. We can't kill them, can we?" Lewis asked, secretly hoping for Zane to present a solution, as he always seems to.

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Lewis. I'm sorry, but I don't know how we would cure them, even if we could. We have no idea what turned them into zombies, and I don't think they have any souls left. They would kill us, Lewis. At this point, it's 'kill or be killed', and I'm not in the mood to die."

"I know. But they've been our friends for as long as we've been alive. They've never abandoned us, and we can't just soullessly abandon them, either. I don't see how you could even think that, Zane. We need to find a way to save them-"

Lewis was interrupted by two gunshots.

"Sorry, Lewis. Your innocence is your weakness. I love you, but my only obligation is to protect you. I'll do what I have to in order to keep you safe," Zane finished, and with his sunglasses on, Lewis could hardly recognize the figure standing in front of him.

As the two girls fell to the floor, **shot directly in the head,** Cleo's cowering figure was revealed. She had hidden discreetly in the corner of the cafe, and she was clearly distraught. She was covered in blood, and after witnessing the death of her two closest friends, she wished the shots had killed her instead. Pain filled her eyes but quickly transformed to rage as she noticed the lovers in front of her.

With the room cleared of zombies, and a pile of their corpses lying mangled on all sides of the boys, they quickly moved towards Cleo. Only a few feet in front of her, they immediately stopped in their tracks once they saw the look in her eyes; she seemed to have a score to settle. Her nostrils flared as she stood up, her anger driving her every action.  
"Happy Halloween, Lewis," Cleo said, maliciously.

"Happy Halloween, Cleo," he replied. Courage flooded his voice.

"**Happy Halloween, Zane," said Zane, just trying to be involved.**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: I Love You, Louie Wowie**

_**Continuing...**_

"I see that the two of you survived the zombie attacks. That's more than we can say for Emma and Rikki, though. I'm _so glad_ the two of you were able to ruin another good part of my life.

"Cleo, none of that is Zane's fault, can we talk about thi-"

"Silence, Lewis. You know nothing. This isn't about you, it's all about him."

Her anger seemed only to grow with every word directed at Zane. Suddenly, Cleo pulled out a gun from a crack in her thong. For the Americans listening, 'thong' is Australian for flip-flops. Don't be nasty.

"The only thing Zane knows how to do is ruin my life. First, you take away my only love, Lewis. Then my sister's life. And _now_ my two best friends in all of Australia are lying dead on the ground, rotting. Zane Bennett, you are a monster. You have no remorse for your actions, and you're too conceited to even notice anyone besides yourself. I've tried to be civil - not really, but partly - but now, you've done too much, and hurt far too many people for me to allow this to continue. Zane Bennett, Australia is better off without you, and it will surely thank me for what I am about to do."

As Cleo finished her monologue, she raised her gun quickly into the air, directing it precisely at Zane's chest.

"**Happy Halloween, Zane," **she mocked, and a shot echoed through the JuiceNet Cafe.

Once the bullet passed through Zane's chest, his body sank abruptly and the floor was soon covered with a familiar, sickening liquid.

"Even after all this," Cleo started, motioning to the piles of the **fallen zombies** with her gun, "I can't help but blame myself. All I've wanted since Kim's death was to get revenge. And it was all planned so perfectly, too. I collected water from the Moon Pool, and on Halloween night and I knew I could every person in Australia into a zombie. I knew I could turn you, Zane. He would turn, and we - _**you and me, Lewis **_\- could live on together. You would never have to know I was responsible for it all. We could put everything behind us. Zane, Kim, the zombies. We could start fresh. But I couldn't even get that much right. I've messed it all up. I've turned myself into the enemy, and I know you would never want to be with a person like that. You were always so good. Without you, I have nothing. Perhaps, I never had anything at all."

Cleo raised the gun to her temples and took her final shot, collapsing to the floor.

Lewis stood, frozen in his tracks. He attempted to pick up his sickle in order to save his love, just as his love had saved him so many times before. He simply couldn't move. Instead, he stayed in place, his ears ringing from the shot. Tears blurred his vision, and he collapsed to the floor, falling near to Zane. He could feel the heat of his warm blood pooling around them. Zane looked into Lewis's eyes and managed to speak five simple words:

"I love you Louie Wowie."

Chills were sent down Lewis's back as he remembered the first time Zane had called him by that name. He could remember how it felt when their lips met; the first time he had ever surrendered himself to true love; the first time he felt honest with who he was. He slipped back into the moment, and he felt everything as if it were still happening. The weight of Zane's leather jacket on his shoulders, wrapped around him tightly; the reflection of the orange sunset on the clear water before them; the wind, forcing them to come even closer for warmth, feeling inseparable; Zane rubbing small circles on his back and shushing gently in his ear.

That was the first night in Lewis's life that he had never had to feel fear. With Zane, he experienced a feeling of comfort and security that had never come upon him before. He would never feel lost; he found something to ground him, he found his purpose: it was Zane.

As he saw Zane lying there, helpless, all the fear previously taken away was restored. Imagining a life without his love was the most terrifying thought that had ever formed within his mind.

Even though Zane had been his protector for so long, Lewis knew it was his turn to take care of him. He knew that he would have to be strong. He pushed his fears to the back of his head and straightened his back. He had to muster all of the strength in his body to help him. He didn't know what it would cost, what it would take, or if he could survive this, but he had to move forward. He had to be the protector now.

Lewis looked down and reached for Zane's cold hand.

"Please don't think like that, Zane. I'm going to stay here with you, and we're going to make it through this, just like we promised. This isn't our time to say goodbye. Not yet."

Zane gasped for breath as he attempted to reply. **His words came out, but were *covered* with blood, as he choked.**

"It's okay, L*cough* Lewis."

Zane looked deeply into Lewis's eyes, and there was a gloss over his eye as if he had already accepted his fate. Lewis tightened his grip on Zane's hand:

"No, it's not. You don't deserve this. You've always been better than I was. You don't deserve this, you don't- *Lewis stutters*."

Lewis tried to fill the silence with comforting words, intensifying as he continued:

"Zane, please stay with me. This isn't right. You don't deserve this. You don't, you don't. This should be me. Zane. Stay with me. Zane. Zane? Zane?"  
As he called out for his lover a final time, he knew he was gone.

He lost his strength, and he couldn't continue.

**Defeated. Lewis managed to muster the words, "I love you, too, Zaney Waney."**

He broke down and began to cry, his body fully dropped to the floor: a mirror image of his soulmate. He should've said 'I love you, too'.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The Return**

_**In the present, entering the JuiceNet Cafe…**_

The tragedy of the room was maddening, but he was already insane. His footsteps shattered the silence of the cafe as he entered. He swung the door open with a deadly confidence, and he laughed like a maniac when he noticed Cleo's body on the floor.

"Looks like someone beat me to the punch," he chuckled.

Lewis looked up at the figure and was frozen in place.

"Nate?" he asked.

"It's Nathaniel now. Nate died in the basement with Kim."

Nathaniel certainly looked different than Nate had. His hair was long and unkept. His eyes were clear but distant - far removed from reality. His laugh was maniacal, and his sickening grin held no trace of remorse. He seemed detached, and every word he said felt hollow. His height and stature dominated the room, shaking Lewis to his core.

Approaching Lewis, his cold eyes fell upon Zane's lifeless body. As if he were merely an exhibit on display, Nate observed him with a chilling curiosity.

"I'm too late."

Without breaking his stare at the body, Nate initiated further conversation with Lewis.

"You."

"Excuse me?"

"You caused this. This was all you."

"No, this wasn't-"

"Stop talking."

A deafening silence filled the air as Nate gathered his thoughts.

"This started with you, as soon as you tricked Zane into falling for you. Kim's death was about you. The drinks were about you. Everyone - Rikki, Emma, Cleo, Wilfred, and all the other innocent victims here - are gone because of you. Zane is gone because of you."

Lewis was too frightened to speak, and Nate continued.

"You've been ruining Zane's life since the moment you entered it. He spent every waking second taking care of you, protecting you, defending you. Everything he has ever done has been because of you. You corrupted him. He never stood a chance with you by his side, feeding off of him like some helpless parasite. You were selfish, greedy, and careless, and _you killed him_. "

There was a slight break in his voice, but he was as soulless as ever.

Filled with fear, but needing to correct Nate's slander, Lewis interrupted.

"That's not true, Nate. I loved him."

"I said, **stop talking. What part of that do you not understand? And I said, my name is Nathaniel. Can't you ever listen when you're told? Did you hear me this time? I said NATHANIEL. Not NATE. NATHANIEL. It's my name for God's sake, it's not that difficult. You can't follow the simplest directions. I mean SERIOUSLY, Lewis. Can't you ever listen when you're told? Maybe if you would've listened to Zane, he would've had a chance at a real life. A happy life, with people who actually care about him. Instead of you, using him as a constant ego-boost for when you're feeling self-conscious."**

Lewis returned to silence.

"I've lived for Zane. I'm alive for Zane. I would die for Zane. And now he's dead, he's dead, he's dead. And you killed him."

He pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it directly at Lewis's skull.

"And now I'm going to kill you."

"Look around here, Lewis. Look at the carnage you've caused. Look at Zane."

Waiving the gun frantically, Nate continued:

"LOOK AT HIM. Now, look around. Look around: the only here zombie is you."

A shot fired from the chamber of the gun, and red painted the walls.

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN.**

"Wake up, Lewis! We're here."

Lewis's eyes shot open, and the bright sky reflecting on the water almost blinded him.

"Zane?" he asked, confused by reality.

"You fell asleep on the ride here. You seemed to be having a pretty bad dream, I hope everything is alright."

"Where are we?"

"The continent of Flordia. We made it."

"Zane, I don't want you to ever have to feel like you can't live your life. Even though we're dating, I don't want you to make all of your decisions based on me."

"So, I can't live my life?"

"Zane, the only life worth living is with you. That's all I need."

"Lewis, are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Everything's alright, now. I just need you to know that I love you, Zaney Waney."

Lewis hugged Zane tightly from behind, and taken aback by this, Zane stuttered as he replied:

"I-I love you, too, Louie Wowie."

Lewis reached up to brush his hair nervously and felt the comforting presence of his favorite hat. Pulling it off and examining it, the once-bloody hat was perfectly clean.

Every fear that was created within the dream dissolved upon Lewis hearing his pet-name. He hugged Zane a little tighter at that moment, as he realized why Nate had said what he had. He was jealous. He didn't understand what it was like to have someone care about him as much as Zane and Lewis cared about each other. There was no doubt in Lewis's mind that he and Zane were meant for each other.

As the boys approached the shore, they felt closer than ever, as they were ready to start their new lives in the lawless continent of Florida.

THE END


End file.
